WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.480 --> 00:00:03.960 In this episode, we look at the latest recruitment exam 2 00:00:04.040 --> 00:00:08.000 controversy in Sharkhand that has raised questions about the credibility 3 00:00:08.039 --> 00:00:11.199 of the state's selection process. We also take a look 4 00:00:11.240 --> 00:00:14.880 at Union Minister Bhagirat Chadri, who has returned a ninety 5 00:00:14.960 --> 00:00:19.320 nine lakh rupee subsidy received under a scheme administered by 6 00:00:19.320 --> 00:00:23.679 his own ministry, raising concerns about conflicts of interest. But 7 00:00:23.839 --> 00:00:28.160 first we talk about concerns over individual privacy that have 8 00:00:28.280 --> 00:00:35.880 emerged during the CJP protests. Hi, I'm Acha Sharma and 9 00:00:35.960 --> 00:00:38.679 you're listening to three things. The Indian Express new show. 10 00:00:44.439 --> 00:00:47.119 A pil has now been filed in the Delhi High 11 00:00:47.159 --> 00:00:51.439 Court challenging the use of a permanent surveillance star and 12 00:00:51.560 --> 00:00:56.320 high tech police vans equipped with facial recognition technology to 13 00:00:56.479 --> 00:01:01.359 monitor protesters at Juntarmant. The petition, fire by former Jawaharlal 14 00:01:01.479 --> 00:01:06.480 Naheru Students' Union president Ice Coach, argues that this amounted 15 00:01:06.599 --> 00:01:11.760 to continuous, indiscriminate and intrusive surveillance. So to understand the 16 00:01:11.879 --> 00:01:15.480 kind of surveillance protesters were subjected to during the recent 17 00:01:15.560 --> 00:01:18.680 protest in Delhi and what the law says about it, 18 00:01:19.000 --> 00:01:23.079 Michaelagueharaka Nanda speaks to the Undian expresses Vineed Pala, who 19 00:01:23.079 --> 00:01:24.560 writes on law for the newspaper. 20 00:01:25.799 --> 00:01:28.680 So we need tell us about the kind of AI 21 00:01:28.799 --> 00:01:33.400 and facial recognition technology that was installed at Junermantar and 22 00:01:33.760 --> 00:01:34.760 what was it able to do. 23 00:01:35.400 --> 00:01:39.079 So the allegation is that there is a mobile surveillance 24 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:42.840 van there which is called Iktioner. This van is fitted 25 00:01:42.920 --> 00:01:47.120 with cameras that provide a three sixty degree field of 26 00:01:47.200 --> 00:01:53.159 view that runs live footage through an AI aided facial 27 00:01:53.200 --> 00:01:57.560 recognition software. Now, what this software does is that it 28 00:01:58.079 --> 00:02:00.879 maps the faces of the people in the crowd and 29 00:02:00.920 --> 00:02:05.439 then compares them against a police database of known offenders. 30 00:02:05.680 --> 00:02:09.199 And if the system finds a match, and the police 31 00:02:09.479 --> 00:02:13.759 has allegedly said that an eighty percent similarity is a 32 00:02:13.800 --> 00:02:17.479 positive match, it flags the individual. So this is the 33 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:22.319 kind of surveillance that Coach is flagging in her petition 34 00:02:23.080 --> 00:02:23.520 and so. 35 00:02:23.759 --> 00:02:27.400 On what grounds has hosts challenged this and what does 36 00:02:27.439 --> 00:02:29.199 she find most concerning about it? 37 00:02:29.960 --> 00:02:35.120 The main concern is that this surveillance is completely arbitrary 38 00:02:35.240 --> 00:02:40.879 and it lacks any legal safeguards. Sosts petition argues that 39 00:02:41.319 --> 00:02:45.479 the police are collecting and storing personal data of the 40 00:02:45.879 --> 00:02:50.199 protesters without telling and even why it's being collected, without 41 00:02:50.240 --> 00:02:54.120 telling anyone who has access to it or how long 42 00:02:54.159 --> 00:02:57.080 it will be kept. So, as I said, the police 43 00:02:57.319 --> 00:03:01.800 are using this to intimidate students by telling, by threatening 44 00:03:01.879 --> 00:03:05.719 to expose their participation to their families and their colleges. 45 00:03:05.879 --> 00:03:09.039 Apart from this, the petition also highlights a very particular 46 00:03:09.080 --> 00:03:12.479 impact on female protesters. What it says is that during 47 00:03:12.560 --> 00:03:16.199 heavy rains, when there was no shelter, women were forced 48 00:03:16.240 --> 00:03:20.439 to stay in drenched clothes to continue the protest, and 49 00:03:20.520 --> 00:03:24.680 the police allegedly kept recording them. Cotious petition argues that 50 00:03:24.919 --> 00:03:29.280 this recording them in such a vulnerable physical state is 51 00:03:29.400 --> 00:03:34.560 a violation of their dignity and bodily privacy, and this 52 00:03:34.639 --> 00:03:37.879 is why they've asked the High courte to intervene. 53 00:03:38.560 --> 00:03:38.800 Right. 54 00:03:39.159 --> 00:03:42.639 So what are the key legal and constitutional questions the 55 00:03:42.719 --> 00:03:44.560 quote will have to decide in this case. 56 00:03:45.280 --> 00:03:50.800 So a coach has raised the question of three intersecting 57 00:03:50.879 --> 00:03:54.280 fundamental rights, which is the right to equality, the right 58 00:03:54.319 --> 00:03:57.479 to free speech and peaceful assembly, and the right to 59 00:03:57.599 --> 00:04:02.599 privacy and dignity. Equality is guaranteed by Article fourteen. Free 60 00:04:02.599 --> 00:04:06.280 speech and peaceful assembly by Article nineteen to one, and 61 00:04:06.800 --> 00:04:11.439 privacy and dignity by Article twenty one. The biggest landmark 62 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:14.800 here is the Supreme Courts, or rather the biggest legal 63 00:04:14.879 --> 00:04:19.279 standard here is the Supreme Courts twenty seventeen Putaswami judgment, 64 00:04:19.360 --> 00:04:22.920 which held privacy to be a fundamental right. That judgment 65 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:27.439 established a triple test for state surveillance. That is, a 66 00:04:27.519 --> 00:04:31.879 state's intervention or infringement of the right to privacy, so 67 00:04:32.000 --> 00:04:35.480 that can be allowed only if it is a backed 68 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:39.240 by a valid law, b serves a legtimate state interest, 69 00:04:39.519 --> 00:04:43.959 and c is a proportionate response to whatever that state 70 00:04:44.040 --> 00:04:48.199 interest is. Gosh has argued that this surveillance by the 71 00:04:48.240 --> 00:04:52.240 police it fails all three tests. And on the other end, 72 00:04:52.279 --> 00:04:55.639 the government has argued that this kind of videography is 73 00:04:55.639 --> 00:04:58.639 a standard law and order measure. Last week, during the 74 00:04:58.680 --> 00:05:02.000 hearing of this in High Court, the Solicitor General had 75 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:05.240 actually told the court that claiming privacy in a public 76 00:05:05.319 --> 00:05:09.800 gathering is ironical because the protesters themselves are recording videos. 77 00:05:10.040 --> 00:05:13.160 So yeah, those are the questions that the court will 78 00:05:13.199 --> 00:05:14.879 have to decide, and. 79 00:05:14.759 --> 00:05:18.319 We need what kind of an impact can such surveillance have? 80 00:05:18.439 --> 00:05:21.959 On people's right to protest to what extent can discourage 81 00:05:22.000 --> 00:05:24.120 people from showing up for protests. 82 00:05:24.720 --> 00:05:27.680 That is the central argument in the petition. It says 83 00:05:27.759 --> 00:05:30.439 that this kind of surveillance has a chilling effect on 84 00:05:30.560 --> 00:05:33.600 people's right to protest, which is to say that people 85 00:05:33.680 --> 00:05:36.399 will choose not to go to the protest, even if 86 00:05:36.399 --> 00:05:40.439 they're legally allowed to do it, because they fear that 87 00:05:40.720 --> 00:05:45.439 the state will profile them and they will then face 88 00:05:45.519 --> 00:05:49.720 disciplinary action in college or they will deal with police 89 00:05:49.720 --> 00:05:52.959 scrutiny later in life. So this is what the petition argues. 90 00:05:53.000 --> 00:05:57.240 That such kind of a chilling effect makes citizens stay 91 00:05:57.279 --> 00:06:01.680 at home out of fear and undermines their freedom of 92 00:06:01.720 --> 00:06:02.639 speech and assembly. 93 00:06:03.279 --> 00:06:07.920 But does India currently have a clear legal framework governing 94 00:06:07.920 --> 00:06:09.959 the use of facial recognition technology. 95 00:06:10.680 --> 00:06:14.920 It doesn't. Actually, we have a massive regulatory vacuum in 96 00:06:14.959 --> 00:06:18.839 that space right now. We did pass the Digital Personal 97 00:06:18.879 --> 00:06:22.040 Data Protection Act a few years back, but the problem 98 00:06:22.120 --> 00:06:26.480 is that law grants very wide exemptions to government and 99 00:06:26.720 --> 00:06:30.560 law enforcement agencies. As a result, there are no clear 100 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:36.120 guidelines on how the police can use facial recognition technology 101 00:06:36.199 --> 00:06:39.360 and how is that data to be then stored by 102 00:06:39.360 --> 00:06:42.600 the police. There are also no rules on where they 103 00:06:42.639 --> 00:06:46.759 retain this footage, who accesses it, and what are the 104 00:06:46.800 --> 00:06:50.959 consequences of any misuser leaks. And this is what the 105 00:06:51.000 --> 00:06:56.399 petition argues that without any independent oversight, the police have 106 00:06:56.720 --> 00:07:02.560 unfettered discretion, which makes the survey in gentlemen the arbitrary 107 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:03.759 as well as opaque. 108 00:07:04.360 --> 00:07:08.000 Now, looking ahead, if the court rules either way, what 109 00:07:08.199 --> 00:07:12.040 president could it set for surveillance in other public spaces 110 00:07:12.079 --> 00:07:12.920 across in there. 111 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:18.639 So, if the High Court upholds the surveillance, then it 112 00:07:18.720 --> 00:07:23.160 will give law enforcement agencies across the country a carte 113 00:07:23.160 --> 00:07:27.399 blanche to deploy this kind of facial recognition and technology 114 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:31.120 and AI cameras at any public gathering or any protest 115 00:07:31.480 --> 00:07:36.120 without needing a specific legal order or warrant. And this 116 00:07:36.160 --> 00:07:40.079 would I think be a step in the direction of 117 00:07:40.120 --> 00:07:44.680 what we see in China, where you have normalized almost 118 00:07:44.920 --> 00:07:48.839 algorithmic policing. On the other hand, if the court rules 119 00:07:48.879 --> 00:07:52.480 in favor of the petition, then it could force the 120 00:07:52.519 --> 00:07:58.079 Indian government to finally establish strict procedural safeguards for this 121 00:07:58.199 --> 00:08:03.120 kind of surveillance, and I think that would be a 122 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:07.000 good step for digital liberties and. 123 00:08:06.879 --> 00:08:10.199 We need if we talk on broader terms how should 124 00:08:10.199 --> 00:08:14.160 India balance public security with citizens privacy and the right 125 00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:14.600 to dissent. 126 00:08:15.399 --> 00:08:19.240 It's a tough balance, but other countries have already I think, 127 00:08:19.360 --> 00:08:21.199 done a good job of it right. So if we 128 00:08:21.279 --> 00:08:24.720 look at the European Union for example, it passed the 129 00:08:24.959 --> 00:08:29.439 Artificial Intelligence Act recently, under which the use of real 130 00:08:29.480 --> 00:08:33.559 time facial recognition technology by the police in public spaces 131 00:08:33.759 --> 00:08:37.759 is banned, with very strictly defined exceptions like searching for 132 00:08:37.919 --> 00:08:41.600 a missing child or preventing an imminent terrorist attack. And 133 00:08:41.639 --> 00:08:46.080 even then the police need prior authorization from an independent 134 00:08:46.159 --> 00:08:49.360 authority or from a judge. So we could look at 135 00:08:49.360 --> 00:08:54.159 a similar framework, and I think we need a legal 136 00:08:54.200 --> 00:08:59.360 framework which follows the guidelines established in the Putaswami judgment, 137 00:08:59.399 --> 00:09:06.240 which ensure that surveillances targeted, proportionate and subject to judicial oversight, 138 00:09:06.600 --> 00:09:09.320 rather than leaving it entirely to the discussion of the 139 00:09:09.360 --> 00:09:10.240 police underground. 140 00:09:15.360 --> 00:09:18.279 And next we take a look at jark Hunt, where 141 00:09:18.320 --> 00:09:22.279 another recruitment exam controversy has put the state's Public Service 142 00:09:22.279 --> 00:09:26.480 Commission under scrutiny. The latest row is around the fourteenth 143 00:09:26.519 --> 00:09:31.159 Combined Civil Services Examination conducted by the Jharkhan Public Service 144 00:09:31.159 --> 00:09:35.919 Commission or JPSC. After the preliminary results were declared, candidates 145 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:39.759 raised questions over alleged discrepancies in the way the exam 146 00:09:39.879 --> 00:09:43.200 was conducted. After the matter came to light, the CID 147 00:09:43.360 --> 00:09:47.759 raided the residents of former Chief Secretary and JPSC chairperson 148 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:51.799 El Kan, who has now resigned, and arrested several people, 149 00:09:51.960 --> 00:09:56.039 including JPSC officials and employees linked to the private agency 150 00:09:56.120 --> 00:09:58.960 that helped conduct the exam. But this is not just 151 00:09:59.039 --> 00:10:02.279 about one exam. Since Jharkan was formed in two thousand, 152 00:10:02.720 --> 00:10:07.759 almost every major GPSC recruitment has faced allegations. So what 153 00:10:07.960 --> 00:10:12.559 exactly triggered the latest controversy and why has Jharkan's recruitment 154 00:10:12.600 --> 00:10:17.000 system faced such repeated issues. To understand this, we're joined 155 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:20.679 by the inn expresses shub Humptiga Shubum. We know this 156 00:10:20.720 --> 00:10:23.840 is in the first JPSC controversy. In fact, you highlight 157 00:10:23.919 --> 00:10:26.879 how this has become almost a recurring pattern over the 158 00:10:26.919 --> 00:10:31.320 last two decades. Talk about why does almost every major 159 00:10:31.360 --> 00:10:36.159 recruitment examined har Khan seem to end in allegations of irregularities. 160 00:10:37.320 --> 00:10:40.679 See, that's actually the bigger story we need to understand. 161 00:10:40.759 --> 00:10:46.240 So whenever we see any either regularity, scam or controversy 162 00:10:46.240 --> 00:10:49.519 in Jharkhan. So the bigger question is where did it 163 00:10:49.600 --> 00:10:52.120 actually start? So I always try to find out the 164 00:10:52.159 --> 00:10:55.840 origin of the controversy or any scam. So Jarkan was 165 00:10:55.840 --> 00:10:59.200 formed in two thousand and if we go back and 166 00:10:59.240 --> 00:11:02.960 try to find the starting point of these controversies, so. 167 00:11:02.919 --> 00:11:05.840 You will realize that there is no clear origin point 168 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:07.399 of any controversy. 169 00:11:07.440 --> 00:11:11.159 If you'll trace the history of fourteenth GPSC controversy that 170 00:11:11.600 --> 00:11:14.799 recently it's going on, so you will eventually reach the 171 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:19.840 first and second GPSC examinations where the CBI investigation is 172 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:23.960 still going on and trial is still continuing. Even that 173 00:11:24.120 --> 00:11:27.840 isn't really the beginning. Before Jharkan was created, this region 174 00:11:27.879 --> 00:11:30.960 was part of Behart and there were controversies there as well, 175 00:11:31.039 --> 00:11:33.879 So honestly, it's difficult to say where it all begins. 176 00:11:33.960 --> 00:11:37.440 This isn't just about the recent issue. So almost every 177 00:11:37.480 --> 00:11:41.799 major GPSC examination in Sharkan's history you will see from 178 00:11:41.879 --> 00:11:46.919 first to now, I think all of the GPS exams, 179 00:11:47.039 --> 00:11:51.039 recruitment exams have faced some kind of controversy, whether it's 180 00:11:51.080 --> 00:11:55.879 about revised result uns, a key disputes, interview, or anything 181 00:11:55.960 --> 00:11:59.559 reservation issue, anything, quote cases and all. So something or 182 00:11:59.600 --> 00:12:02.919 the other kept coming up. So for many experience, this 183 00:12:03.360 --> 00:12:07.240 latest controversy doesn't feel like an exception, but it's a 184 00:12:07.440 --> 00:12:10.879 huge one now and it feels like a continuation of 185 00:12:10.919 --> 00:12:14.759 a pattern that's been there for more than two decades now. 186 00:12:15.360 --> 00:12:17.840 And so what has triggered this recent controversy? 187 00:12:18.519 --> 00:12:23.440 So I think it all started after the preliminary test 188 00:12:23.759 --> 00:12:27.320 result of fourteenth the JPSC exam, which is officially called 189 00:12:27.360 --> 00:12:29.720 the Combined Civil Service Examination here. 190 00:12:30.000 --> 00:12:31.240 So the first. 191 00:12:31.039 --> 00:12:34.240 Issue was that the Commission did not release the category 192 00:12:34.240 --> 00:12:37.720 wise cutoff MARS. So now that's important because we need 193 00:12:37.720 --> 00:12:41.000 to understand that it's important for any experience because once 194 00:12:41.039 --> 00:12:44.679 a candidate who knows the cutoff, they can roughly estimate 195 00:12:44.759 --> 00:12:48.240 whether he or she'll qualify for the main's exam or not, 196 00:12:48.519 --> 00:12:50.759 and if they think they have a chance, they will 197 00:12:50.759 --> 00:12:54.360 immediately start preparing for the mains joint coaching or begin 198 00:12:54.480 --> 00:12:58.600 answer writing practices. So, since the cutoff was not released, 199 00:12:58.720 --> 00:13:00.279 candidates started question. 200 00:13:00.000 --> 00:13:01.519 In the overall process. 201 00:13:01.759 --> 00:13:05.039 And then the second issue was the merit list. So 202 00:13:05.200 --> 00:13:09.519 some candidates I think pointed out that it didn't carry 203 00:13:09.519 --> 00:13:14.159 the signature of the Commission's GPS constitutional members and recently, 204 00:13:14.200 --> 00:13:17.840 in response, the GPS chairperson, while he was responding to 205 00:13:17.840 --> 00:13:21.000 this question to media, he talked about something Commissions two 206 00:13:21.000 --> 00:13:24.279 thousand and two rules or guidelines, so he cited those 207 00:13:24.320 --> 00:13:29.039 guidelines and said that those signatures of members actually were 208 00:13:29.080 --> 00:13:34.679 not mandatory. And then the controversy really intensified when the 209 00:13:35.080 --> 00:13:38.960 reportedly one OMR sheet of a candidate from another state 210 00:13:39.360 --> 00:13:41.559 started circulating on social media. 211 00:13:41.759 --> 00:13:45.240 So in that candidates OMR sheet, the candidate. 212 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:49.679 Had actually qualified despite attempting very fewer questions required to 213 00:13:49.799 --> 00:13:55.720 qualify the exam. So that sparked widespread discussions and debate, 214 00:13:55.960 --> 00:13:59.799 and now the protests among his parents. So eventually, as 215 00:13:59.840 --> 00:14:03.919 the protests or the discussions grew and pressure mounted, the 216 00:14:04.000 --> 00:14:07.840 state government directed the CID to investigate the matter. 217 00:14:08.519 --> 00:14:11.480 So Shuaman, at the stage what has actually been verified 218 00:14:11.519 --> 00:14:15.559 by investigators and what still remains only an allegation. 219 00:14:15.840 --> 00:14:20.399 We cannot make that distinction between the verified and the allegation. 220 00:14:20.759 --> 00:14:23.480 But what we know for sure is that the CID 221 00:14:23.600 --> 00:14:27.480 has registered a case, formed an sit and carried out 222 00:14:27.600 --> 00:14:31.960 rates at the GPSC former office and the GPS chairperson's 223 00:14:32.000 --> 00:14:35.519 residence as well, and arrested some several people. So these 224 00:14:35.559 --> 00:14:40.120 include GPS staff, the examination controller, and people linked to 225 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:44.320 the private agency that was given the responsibility to conduct 226 00:14:44.320 --> 00:14:47.519 the exam. So those are the verified development we know 227 00:14:47.799 --> 00:14:51.519 and the artists have happened that we know, and this 228 00:14:51.759 --> 00:14:55.399 investigation is officially underway, and the agency's involvement in the 229 00:14:55.559 --> 00:14:59.039 examination is also almost established. 230 00:14:59.159 --> 00:15:02.120 But beyond that, the investigation is still going on. 231 00:15:02.399 --> 00:15:05.320 One of the major allegations is that the GPS chairperson 232 00:15:05.399 --> 00:15:09.039 knew about the concerns regarding the private agency and still 233 00:15:09.080 --> 00:15:13.440 allowed it to continue. That has not been verified yet. 234 00:15:13.799 --> 00:15:17.279 But the CIDs is still questioning those who have been 235 00:15:17.360 --> 00:15:21.279 arrested and it is also interogating the formal GPS chairperson. 236 00:15:21.519 --> 00:15:25.080 So the CID has not reached any final conclusion yet. 237 00:15:25.200 --> 00:15:28.679 That's why it's important not to treat every allegation as 238 00:15:28.720 --> 00:15:31.799 an established fact. We'll have to wait and see what 239 00:15:31.840 --> 00:15:34.200 the investigation finally reveals. 240 00:15:34.759 --> 00:15:37.799 And you spoke of the concerns about the private agency 241 00:15:37.919 --> 00:15:41.639 conducting the examination, and we understand that it had reportedly 242 00:15:41.679 --> 00:15:45.559 been blacklisted earlier, So how did it end up conducting 243 00:15:45.600 --> 00:15:48.559 one of Jharkhan's biggest recruitment exams? 244 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:53.399 So this agency was actually blacklisted by the Jharkan government 245 00:15:53.440 --> 00:15:57.159 itself last year May by the Jharkhand Staff Selection Commission 246 00:15:57.200 --> 00:16:00.919 or jsc SO. JSSE had black lily did this company 247 00:16:01.000 --> 00:16:04.120 for non compliance with its agreement and the same company 248 00:16:04.240 --> 00:16:07.679 was blacklisted in Uttar Padesh and other estates. But despite 249 00:16:07.720 --> 00:16:10.840 all that, it was later given the responsibility of conducting 250 00:16:10.840 --> 00:16:14.120 one of Jharkan's important exam. Now, if we go by 251 00:16:14.200 --> 00:16:18.159 what the former GPSC chairperson told the media, he said 252 00:16:18.240 --> 00:16:20.639 he had no idea that the company had been blacklisted. 253 00:16:20.679 --> 00:16:23.000 And that's a very i mean vague answer and naturally 254 00:16:23.039 --> 00:16:25.879 it has raised even more questions. So candidates and opposition 255 00:16:25.960 --> 00:16:28.399 parties are asking how a company with that background was 256 00:16:28.600 --> 00:16:31.799 entrusted with such an important examination. And the CID is 257 00:16:31.840 --> 00:16:34.360 also looking into the role of the agency along with 258 00:16:34.399 --> 00:16:37.480 the role of GPSC officials. And there's one more important 259 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:41.080 point here. In January this year, a person from Karanataka, 260 00:16:41.240 --> 00:16:45.080 he wrote a formal complain letter to GPS chairperson this 261 00:16:45.200 --> 00:16:50.840 year complaining about the irregularities involving this agency, this private agency. 262 00:16:50.879 --> 00:16:53.960 And when the letter surfaced everywhere on social media recently 263 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:56.799 after the investigation started by the CID. So when the 264 00:16:57.000 --> 00:16:59.519 chairperson was asked about it by the media, he said 265 00:16:59.559 --> 00:17:03.440 that he generally response to complaints and the GPS often 266 00:17:03.799 --> 00:17:07.920 address the issues or the concerns coming from anyone. But 267 00:17:07.960 --> 00:17:10.680 he was saying that it's possible that this particular complaint 268 00:17:10.759 --> 00:17:13.599 was not properly looked into or may have been overlooked. 269 00:17:13.599 --> 00:17:17.759 That was his response, right, And investigators now say one 270 00:17:17.799 --> 00:17:21.480 into which will Abhetivari is at the center of the investigation, 271 00:17:21.839 --> 00:17:25.559 talk about why has his alleged rule become so significant. 272 00:17:26.359 --> 00:17:29.960 So Abbatari or Manostivari is at the center of the 273 00:17:30.000 --> 00:17:32.880 investigation because according to the CID, he is one of 274 00:17:32.920 --> 00:17:35.240 the key links in the entire case. Now we have 275 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:40.079 no idea how CID directly went to Abbativari, or it 276 00:17:40.200 --> 00:17:43.799 might be possible that CID may have asked the chairperson 277 00:17:43.799 --> 00:17:47.599 and chairperson might have given the name of Abbetiari because 278 00:17:47.680 --> 00:17:51.759 there was a complaint letter submitted by someone from Karnataka recently, 279 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:55.279 so that might be the reason how Abbatiari entered into 280 00:17:55.319 --> 00:17:59.599 the scene. So, according to the investigators, this person Abativari, 281 00:17:59.799 --> 00:18:03.960 he cleared the jsc cgial examination and became a block 282 00:18:04.000 --> 00:18:07.160 supply officer in GODA district and at the same time, 283 00:18:07.680 --> 00:18:09.799 they say that he was also working as the marketing 284 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:13.400 manager of this private testing agency that like now based agency. 285 00:18:13.599 --> 00:18:17.039 So in the complaint letter that we discussed earlier, his 286 00:18:17.160 --> 00:18:21.079 name was specifically mentioned along with two other names, and 287 00:18:21.359 --> 00:18:23.440 that is one of the reasons why the investigation is 288 00:18:23.480 --> 00:18:26.119 now focusing so much on him. So the CID is 289 00:18:26.160 --> 00:18:30.559 also trying to find out his own recruitment history because 290 00:18:30.759 --> 00:18:33.160 it is said that he had also cleared four other 291 00:18:33.240 --> 00:18:36.839 exams government exams conducted by JPSC and JSC and his 292 00:18:36.960 --> 00:18:41.359 close family members also were in good position in government job. 293 00:18:41.519 --> 00:18:41.759 Yeah. 294 00:18:41.799 --> 00:18:44.640 So there are also allegations that he acted as a 295 00:18:44.920 --> 00:18:48.200 middleman by demanding money from candidates. 296 00:18:48.559 --> 00:18:51.359 So those allegations are still under investigation. 297 00:18:51.519 --> 00:18:54.759 But that's why this person of Ativari has become such 298 00:18:54.799 --> 00:18:58.000 an important person in this entire investigation. 299 00:18:58.759 --> 00:19:01.240 A shubam as someone who has been reporting on these 300 00:19:01.279 --> 00:19:06.240 discrepancies and how recurring they are. Talk about how exactly 301 00:19:06.359 --> 00:19:11.119 does someone manipulate a public recruitment examination, Like at what 302 00:19:11.279 --> 00:19:15.200 stages would you say such a system is actually vulnerable. 303 00:19:15.880 --> 00:19:19.119 See, the investigation is still in its initial phase, so 304 00:19:19.160 --> 00:19:22.079 it's very difficult for me to say exactly what happened 305 00:19:22.119 --> 00:19:25.400 in this particular case, but generally, if there's manipulation in 306 00:19:25.440 --> 00:19:29.759 a recruitment or something like this examination process, I think 307 00:19:29.839 --> 00:19:34.119 it can happen at different stages. If there isn't enough transparency, 308 00:19:34.359 --> 00:19:38.079 it's hard to pinpoint where things may have gone wrong. 309 00:19:38.519 --> 00:19:41.640 It could happen during the conduct of the examination, or 310 00:19:41.839 --> 00:19:45.599 while handling the OMR sheets, or during the evaluation process, 311 00:19:45.680 --> 00:19:48.519 or even while preparing and publishing the final results. One 312 00:19:48.599 --> 00:19:52.519 question that I personally have is who prepares the question 313 00:19:52.599 --> 00:19:56.480 papers in exam in Jharkan In many other states, as 314 00:19:56.559 --> 00:19:59.960 far as I know, for civil services examinations, that responsibility 315 00:20:00.200 --> 00:20:04.559 usually goes to professors from different universities from different fields. 316 00:20:04.599 --> 00:20:07.519 But if you look at question papers from several recruitment 317 00:20:07.559 --> 00:20:09.799 exams in Jharkhand over the years, you will find a 318 00:20:09.839 --> 00:20:13.240 lot of very basic and sealy mistakes. So that raises 319 00:20:13.279 --> 00:20:16.480 another serious question that who is actually preparing these papers 320 00:20:16.519 --> 00:20:19.559 and what kind of system is in place to ensure 321 00:20:19.640 --> 00:20:23.200 quality and accountability. So as far as this particular case 322 00:20:23.240 --> 00:20:25.559 is concerned, the investigators are looking into the role of 323 00:20:25.599 --> 00:20:28.839 the private agency as well as GPS officials to understand 324 00:20:28.839 --> 00:20:30.640 whether there were any lapses or not. 325 00:20:31.440 --> 00:20:34.839 But are these controversies unique to Sharkhun or do we 326 00:20:34.960 --> 00:20:37.160 see these across recruitment systems. 327 00:20:38.240 --> 00:20:40.400 No, I don't think so that this is very unique 328 00:20:40.440 --> 00:20:40.960 for Jharkhan. 329 00:20:41.039 --> 00:20:44.680 We have seen controversies over recruitment examinations in different parts 330 00:20:44.720 --> 00:20:47.640 of the country as well, even from Chattisgird, from Bihar 331 00:20:47.720 --> 00:20:51.079 and everywhere. Even Vapam scandal in I think Madhya prad 332 00:20:51.440 --> 00:20:56.039 Wapam scam in Chattisgird. But what's different in Sharkan is 333 00:20:56.119 --> 00:21:00.480 the consistency of this controversy series of controversies. So it 334 00:21:00.559 --> 00:21:04.319 almost feels like every major recruitment exam ends up facing 335 00:21:04.359 --> 00:21:07.119 some issue. So you will see allegations in JPS, you 336 00:21:07.119 --> 00:21:11.160 will see allegation INJSC against JSC. You will see controversies 337 00:21:11.160 --> 00:21:15.720 in teachers recruitment exam, sometime field worker exam. So take 338 00:21:15.759 --> 00:21:20.119 the recent example LIKEJSC fieldworker recruitment exam. So the vacancy 339 00:21:20.200 --> 00:21:22.680 came out in twenty twenty four, but the examination was 340 00:21:22.720 --> 00:21:26.319 conducted almost two years later, recently on July nineteen. So 341 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:29.680 after the exam, when the Indian Express spoke to the 342 00:21:29.799 --> 00:21:33.440 gs C secretary, he said that around seventy five percent. 343 00:21:33.799 --> 00:21:37.720 Minded seventy five percent of the candidates didn't appear. One 344 00:21:37.759 --> 00:21:41.359 of the major reasons that many candidates couldn't give exam 345 00:21:41.440 --> 00:21:45.720 because they were allotted examination centers five hundred to six 346 00:21:45.799 --> 00:21:49.519 hundred to seven hundred kilometers away from where they live. 347 00:21:49.839 --> 00:21:53.000 So this was the major reason that around seventy five 348 00:21:53.079 --> 00:21:57.160 percent of students didn't appear for the exam. And then 349 00:21:57.240 --> 00:22:01.359 there was another controversy in the same exam. Tantal students 350 00:22:01.480 --> 00:22:04.920 complain that around forty percent of the questions in the 351 00:22:04.960 --> 00:22:07.960 Santali language in the second paper of that exam were 352 00:22:08.000 --> 00:22:10.799 not based on the class tense labors. They were claiming 353 00:22:10.839 --> 00:22:13.359 that the questions were more at the level of UPSC 354 00:22:13.720 --> 00:22:18.480 or a UGC NET. So these controversies are not unique 355 00:22:18.519 --> 00:22:22.359 to Tarken, but in Sharkan it seems to happen so 356 00:22:22.519 --> 00:22:27.400 frequently that unfortunately, many people have almost started accepting it 357 00:22:27.519 --> 00:22:30.319 as a normal. So it has become so normal in 358 00:22:30.359 --> 00:22:34.519 Sharkun that the controversy doesn't seem to be very unique. 359 00:22:34.519 --> 00:22:38.359 And Shubam, like you just highlighted, whenever an examination is questioned, 360 00:22:38.839 --> 00:22:42.279 the impact on candidates is grave. So for lacks of 361 00:22:42.279 --> 00:22:46.680 aspirits who have spent years preparing, what does that uncertainty 362 00:22:46.759 --> 00:22:47.440 actually mean? 363 00:22:48.119 --> 00:22:51.680 So for candidates, this is much bigger than just the 364 00:22:51.680 --> 00:22:55.559 one examination. Take the recent Jassy field worker examination itself. 365 00:22:55.680 --> 00:22:59.920 So around three to three point five leg candidate apply 366 00:23:00.240 --> 00:23:03.160 for a job that is essentially a field level health 367 00:23:03.200 --> 00:23:07.279 worker position. And that tells you how intense the competition 368 00:23:07.440 --> 00:23:10.799 is and how desperately a young people are waiting for 369 00:23:10.839 --> 00:23:13.920 the government jobs in Jarkun. So many of them spend 370 00:23:14.039 --> 00:23:17.480 years preparing. They put their careers, private job opportunities, and 371 00:23:17.519 --> 00:23:20.759 other plans on hold because they believe clearing one government 372 00:23:20.839 --> 00:23:24.279 examination can completely change their lives. So every time there's 373 00:23:24.319 --> 00:23:28.720 a controversy, recruitment gets delayed, courte cases began, investigation happens, 374 00:23:28.720 --> 00:23:32.839 and the frustration keeps increasing. And the iron is that 375 00:23:33.039 --> 00:23:35.200 Jarkun is one of the richest states in terms of 376 00:23:35.279 --> 00:23:39.160 natural disources mineral resources. It has cold iron, ore, steel 377 00:23:39.640 --> 00:23:42.720 and so much mineral wealth. But despite that, a huge 378 00:23:42.799 --> 00:23:46.240 number of young people still depend on government jobs because 379 00:23:46.599 --> 00:23:50.319 power d and unemployment remain the major issue in Sharkun. 380 00:23:50.720 --> 00:23:53.880 And now that frustation is becoming visible on the streets 381 00:23:53.920 --> 00:23:56.519 as well. We have seen student groups coming together and 382 00:23:56.559 --> 00:24:00.519 holding protest over GPS ANDSSE recruitments. In fact, today was 383 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:04.440 the biggest protest in recent times. So the protesters today 384 00:24:04.440 --> 00:24:07.359 they said that they will continue their editation until the 385 00:24:07.400 --> 00:24:12.240 state government takes responsibility and addresses their concerns because ultimately 386 00:24:12.279 --> 00:24:15.720 both GPS and JSSE function under the state government under 387 00:24:15.720 --> 00:24:16.279 the CM. 388 00:24:16.440 --> 00:24:19.640 So this is no longer just about one exam. 389 00:24:19.839 --> 00:24:23.440 It's about people's trust in the entire recruitment system in 390 00:24:23.519 --> 00:24:27.039 different states. And I think this huge protest today that 391 00:24:27.440 --> 00:24:32.519 held in Rachi, I think that was also somewhere influenced 392 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:36.960 by the enthusiasm of the students protesting in Delhi. 393 00:24:37.000 --> 00:24:38.400 So I think that comes from there. 394 00:24:38.480 --> 00:24:42.400 And now people here are also protesting and questioning the 395 00:24:42.440 --> 00:24:43.319 state government. 396 00:24:48.599 --> 00:24:51.440 And in the end we talk about Union Minister of 397 00:24:51.519 --> 00:24:55.680 State for Agriculture, Hagirat Chadri, who has returned a ninety 398 00:24:55.799 --> 00:24:59.200 nine lakh rupee subsidy that he received for a cucumber 399 00:24:59.319 --> 00:25:03.559 farm under a scheme administered by his own ministry. The 400 00:25:03.599 --> 00:25:08.119 subsidy was granted under a scheme promoting large scale commercial 401 00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:12.319